USF System Regulation USF 3.007

A student is academically eligible to receive a Baccalaureate degree from individual institutions in the University of South Florida System (USF System) when a student completes the requirements of entities including (1) the Board of Governors (BOG), (2) the USF System, (3) the Program, College or Institution requirements, and (4) general academic approval by the University. The requirements are outlined in more detail below.

(1) Board of Governors Basic Requirements: (established by Florida state law and the Board of Governors Regulation 6.017,8.005 and 8.006.)

(a) Satisfactory completion of general education requirements consisting of a minimum of:

Six (6) semester hours of English coursework (formerly known as Gordon Rule courses) in which the student is required to demonstrate college level writing skills through multiple assignments and six (6) additional semester hours of coursework with similar writing requirements. Students awarded college credit in English based on their demonstration of writing skills through dual enrollment, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate instruction shall be considered to have satisfied this requirement to the extent of the college credit awarded.

Six (6) semester hours of mathematics coursework (formerly known as Gordon Rule courses) at the level of college algebra or higher. Applied logic, statistics and other computation-based coursework that may not be offered by a mathematics department may be used to fulfill three (3) of the six (6) hours required by this section. Students awarded college credit based on their demonstration of mathematics skills at the level of college algebra or higher through dual enrollment, advanced placement, or international baccalaureate instruction shall be considered to have satisfied this requirement to the extent of the college credit awarded.

For students entering the University as a first-time-in-college student beginning Fall term 2015, at least one (1) course from each of the general education subject areas listed below in this section. These courses comprise the general education core as required per section 1007.25(3), Florida Statutes.

One of the following courses in Communication: ENC X101 English Composition I; orA course with an ENC prefix for which ENC X101 is a direct prerequisite.

One of the following courses in Humanities: ARH X000 Art Appreciation; or HUM X020 Introduction to Humanities; or LIT X000 Introduction to Literature; or MUL X010 Introduction to Music Literature/Music Appreciation; or PHI X010 Introduction to Philosophy; or THE X000 Theatre Appreciation.

MAC X105 College Algebra; or MAC X311 Calculus I; or MGF X106 Liberal Arts Mathematics I; or MGF X107 Liberal Arts Mathematics II; or STA X023 Statistical Methods; or a mathematics course for which one of the above general education core course options in mathematics is a direct prerequisite.

One of the following courses in Natural Sciences: AST X002 Descriptive Astronomy; or BSC X005 General Biology; or BSC X010 General Biology I; or BSC X085 Anatomy and Physiology I; or CHM X020 Chemistry for Liberal Studies; or CHM X045 General Chemistry I; or ESC X000 Introduction to Earth Science; or EVR X001 Introduction to Environmental Science; or PHY X020 Fundamentals of Physics; or PHY X048 General Physics with Calculus; or PHY X053 General Physics I; or a natural science course for which one of the above general education core course options in natural science is a direct prerequisite.

One of the following courses in Social Sciences: AMH X020 Introductory Survey Since 1877; or ANT X000 Introduction to Anthropology; or ECO X013 Macroeconomics; or POS X041 American Government; or PSY X012 Introduction to Psychology; or SYG X000 Principles of Sociology.

NOTE: Students who transfer into a state university or between state universities shall be required to meet the above general education core requirements if the students were classified as first-time-in-college at their original postsecondary institution Fall Term 2015 and thereafter. Any course accepted by an institution in the Florida College System or State University System as meeting the general education core at that institution shall be accepted as meeting the core requirements at all institutions. All credit earned by other transfer students shall be evaluated by the receiving institution on a course-by-course basis to determine core equivalency. Credit earned through an acceleration mechanism in Section 1007.27, Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6.006, will meet the related general education core course requirement.

(b) Civic Literacy

Baccalaureate degree-seeking students initially entering a state university fall semester 2018 and thereafter must demonstrate competency in civic literacy through one of the following options prior to graduation:

(1) Successfully passing either POSX041 American Government or AMHX020 Introductory Survey Since 1877. Each of the courses must include the following competencies:

Understanding of the basic principles and practices of American democracy and how they are applied in our republican form of government;

An understanding of the United States Constitution and its application;

Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of our institutions of self-government; and

An understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases, landmark legislation and landmark executive actions and their impact on law and society.

(2) Achieving the standard score on one of the following assessments:

Assessment

Standard Score

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Test – Civics (U.S. history and government) with supplemental questions

60

Advanced Placement Government and Politics: United States

3

Advanced Placement United States History

4

CLEP American Government

50

(c) Updates or changes to State and BOG Requirements. The USF System must comply with any updates or changes to state mandates or BOG requirements. The USF System will incorporate those changes in this Regulation by technical amendment as quickly as possible. However, at all times, including what may be an interim processing time, students will be held to the most current standards established by the BOG or state law.

(2) USF System Requirements. In addition to Florida Board of Governors and/or state requirements, the USF System has the following USF specific minimum requirements that are designed to assure the academic integrity of the degree programs at each System Institution:

Successful completion of a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester credit hours through university coursework, acceleration mechanisms, and/or transfer credit, including courses specifically approved as repeatable for credit within the System (e.g. practica, ensembles and field experiences);

A minimum adjusted grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 on all course work taken at the USF System Institution from which the degree is conferred and an overall 2.00 average on all college-level work attempted;

Satisfactory completion of major requirements in a chosen degree program, including additional requirements set by the USF System Institution and college offering the degree;

Successful completion of at least 25% of the total credit hours required for the degree must be in courses offered by the USF System Institution conferring the degree;

Registration and successful completion of at least thirty (30) of the last sixty (60) semester hours at the USF System Institution (home institution) from which the degree is to be conferred. In cases of emergency, a maximum of six (6) hours of the final thirty (30) semester hours may be completed by correspondence or residence at another accredited senior institution with the approval of the academic dean. Exceptions to the home institution rules in this paragraph may be made for students who are enrolled at other universities in USF-approved exchanges, study abroad programs, co-op training programs or correspondence courses from the University of Florida. CLEP credit does not count toward academic residence;

Beginning fall semester 2012, students must complete successfully at least 50% of the required courses in the major in courses offered by the USF System Institution conferring the degree. In cases of hardship or lack of course availability, individual exceptions may be approved by the respective College Deans or designees to help ensure timely graduation;

To help ensure that students are on track to graduate and are less likely to have excess credit hours, students are required to apply to change USF institutions (USF, USFSM, USFSP) and follow the appropriate procedures. All FTIC students must have completed at least three consecutive semesters, not including summer (i.e., Fall, Spring, Fall), at their current institution before change of institution requests will be processed. The request to change institutions must be signed off by the student and approved by the incoming USF institution.

Students who have entered a university in the State of Florida University System with fewer than sixty (60) hours of credit are required to earn at least nine (9) hours prior to graduation by attendance in one or more summer terms in courses offered by a USF System Institution or any one of the State University System of Florida institutions. This requirement may be waived in cases of unusual hardship to the individual;

Satisfaction of the foreign-language admissions requirement by having two (2) sequential units of the same foreign language in high school, or eight (8) semester hours of the same foreign language in college, or documented equivalent proficiency; and

The student’s degree program (major) will appear on the baccalaureate diploma. (If a student satisfies all requirements for two (2) majors, including admission, prerequisite, core, etc., both majors may appear on the diploma).

(3) Program, College, or Institutional Requirements: All students must be aware of and satisfactorily complete any additional requirements that may be required by a specific program, college or institution from which they are graduating as set forth in handbook, catalog, or other published criteria.

(4) General Academic Approval: Successful completion of academic coursework constituting the student’s program of studies, minor, honors thesis, or certification examination does not guarantee award of the baccalaureate degree. Faculty judgment of the academic performance of the student is inherent in the educational process in determining whether the award of the baccalaureate degree or admission into a higher level degree program is warranted.